Delaware gains first woman governor; similar ND bid fails

Delaware voters elected a woman as governor for the first time Tuesday, but a similar trailblazing bid by cancer-stricken Heidi Heitkamp fell short in North Dakota.

Banker John Hoeven kept North Dakota's statehouse in GOP hands with a victory over Heitkamp. The Democratic attorney general was diagnosed with breast cancer in September, had her right breast removed and is undergoing chemotherapy.

Delaware's Lt. Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, who in the 1970s worked as a statehouse receptionist, defeated former GOP state lawmaker John Burris.

In Vermont, scene of a bitter campaign over civil unions for same-sex couples, exit polling indicated Democratic Gov. Howard Dean would win the most votes. But it remained uncertain whether he could collect the 50 percent needed to avoid having the Legislature decide the race.

With 20 percent of Vermont's precincts reporting, Dean who signed the civil unions law led 52 percent to 37 percent over Republican Ruth Dwyer. She was champion of a "Take Back Vermont" movement that favored repealing the measure.

Democrats kept control of governorships in New Hampshire, North Carolina and Indiana.

For New Hampshire, beset by a school-financing crisis, it was a milestone election. Incumbent Jeanne Shaheen, shifting from her previous stance, became the first candidate in decades to win without taking "the pledge" to oppose a state income tax.

In North Carolina, Attorney General Mike Easley defeated Republican Richard Vinroot, a former mayor of Charlotte. Popular Democratic Gov. James Hunt was barred by a term limit from re-election.

Gov. Frank O'Bannon won a second four-term in Indiana, defeating Republican U.S. Rep. David McIntosh. O'Bannon led 57 percent to 42 percent with 64 percent of the precincts reporting.

Another Democratic incumbent, Gary Locke, was heavily favored in Washington.

Heading into the election, the states had 30 Republican governors, 18 Democrats and two independents. Of the 11 governorships at stake, Democrats held seven and hoped to retain all of them while possibly adding more.

On the Republican side, the GOP felt fully confident only in Utah, where Gov. Mike Leavitt seemed assured of a third term. The races in GOP-held West Virginia and Montana were virtual dead heats, and the Republicans also nursed hopes in a tough contest in Democrat-held Missouri.

The early victories and Dean's plurality in Vermont were projected based on interviews with voters leaving polling places. The interviews were conducted by Voter News Service.